Cultivator



N6. 770,575. PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904. R. L. HARPER.

GULTIVATOR.

AlPLIOATION FILED JUNE 22, 1904.

NO MODEL.

I m 1% M Patented September 20, 1904.

IlNiTRD STATES PATENT @rricis.

ROBERT L. HARPER, OF LORENA, TEXAS.

CULTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,57 5, dated pt m r20', 1904.

Application filed June 22,1904. Serial No. 213,667. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. HARPER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lorena, in the county of McLennan and State of Texas, haveinvented new and useful Improve ments in Cultivators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to cultivators, and more especially to an archconstituting a part thereof.

Cultivators ordinarily have an arched bar, the members or branches ofwhich are connected with the beams of the cultivator and are shiftablerelatively to each other in order to change the relation of the beamseither toward or from each other.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide an arch that issimple in construction, efiicient in action, and by the operation of thecontrolling member of which the beams can be readily spread or broughttogether to vary the transverse relation of the shovels. The controllingmember in question is of such a character that a slight movement of thesame will effect a considerable movement of the beams, and suchoperation can be accomplished While the cultivator is in motion andwithout the necessity of the driver or operator thereof leaving hisseat.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification Ihave illustrated one simple adaptation of the invention, which will befully set forth in the following description; but I do not limit myselfto the precise construction thus disclosed, for certain variations maybe adopted within the scope of the claims succeeding said description.

Referring to said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an archincluding my invention and showing the way it is associated with thebeams of a cultivator, said beams and certain other parts of saidcultivator being shown by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an elevation of thearch detached. This figure also shows the seat-bars in transversesection.

Like characters designate like parts throughout both figures.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I haveillustrated by dotted outline acultivator of well-known form, the same including in its make-up twoparallel beams. as 2, to which the usual shovels may be connected. Theseat is represented by 3, and, as will hereinafter appear, thecontrolling or actuating member for the arch constituting thesubject-matter of the present application is within easy reach of thedriver occupying said seat. whereby the adjustment of the beams 2 towardor from each other can be readily secured without the necessity of thedriver dismounting and while the cultivator is in action.

The arch consists of two substantially similar or compleinental bars, as4:, jointed or hinged together at their upper ends in any desirable way.The two bars diverge away from each other toward their lower ends topresent a structure that is approximately of inverted- V form. The lowerends of said bars are equipped with studs or pins, as 5, adapted to befitted into sockets on the beams 2 and to be permanently held in placein any desirable manner. Below the joint or hinge between thecooperating bars 4, in practice generally about eight inches, ishorizontally disposed an elongated loop-shaped nut or turnbuckle 6, theend bars of which are internally left and right threaded to engage theinner ends of the rods 7, the outer ends of said rods being connectedwith the bars 4 in any desirable way. It will be obvious that uponturning the nut or turnbuckle 6 in one direction the bars I will beequally spread and that by turning them a similar distance in theopposite direction they will be drawn together an equal extent. Inpractice the turnbuckle or nut 6 will be within ready access of thedriver occupying the seat 3, so that he can, as previously indicated,without leaving his seat and while the cultivator is being movedforward, by the simple manipulation of the turnbuckle in eitherdirection, operate the bars 4 through the intermediate rods 7 andthereby the beams 2, to adjust or regulate the distance between theshovels. The turnbuckle or right and left threaded nut 6 will be sosituated in proximity' to the hinge between the two cooperating IOOmotion of the beams through the intervening connections. For example, inpractice I intend to so proportion the parts that one half rotation ofthe turnbuckle will be sufficient to move the beams toward or from eachother a distance equaling one inch. It will be apparent, therefore, thatI am enabled to secure with rapidity and facility large and smalladjustments of the shovels relatively to each other and that I amenabled to maintain them in locked lateral relation without thenecessity of employing independent or extraneous locking means, as isordinarily the case. In other words, the turnbuckle or nut 6 constitutessimultaneously an actuating or controlling device and a locking device.

It will be seen that the seat 3, hereinbefore mentioned, is shown asconnected to the outer ends of the bars 8, represented as laterallyseparated and as connected suitably at their forward ends with the poleor tongue 9. (See Fig. 1.) When the beams 2 are elevated to lift theshovels or plows out of the ground in order to move the cultivator fromplace to place or for any other reason, the arch hereinbefore describedand illustrated as composed of the bars 4: will be correspondinglyelevated, so as to engage or substantially engage the seat-supportingbars 8. In case the cultivator is to be moved any great distance and incase the bars 4 do not engage the bars 8 the turnbuckle 6 can bemanipulated to cause the former to engage the latter, so as to hold thebeams 2 positively against sidewise motion. In this way the plows orshovels cannot knock out any of the spokes of the wheels or cause otherinjury.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In acultivator-arch,a pair of bars flexibly connected at their upper endsand diverging away from each other toward their lower ends, the latterbeing adapted for connection with cultivator beams, rods connected withthe bars between their place of juncture and their lower ends, said rodshaving respectively right and left threads, and a nut, also having rightand left threads, to engage the corresponding threads of said rods.

2. In a cultivator-arch, two hingedly-connected bars, adapted forconnection with the beams of a cultivator, rods connected with the barsbetween their joint and the place at which they are connected with saidbeams, said rods having their inner ends provided with right and leftthreads, anda right and left threaded nut to engage the correspondingthreaded portions of the rods. r i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

- ROBERT L. HARPER.

Witnesses:

HUGH BLALOCK, JAMES E. YEAGER.

